'Leap of faith or nothing': Prashant Kishor says JSP to either win 150 seats or less than 10 in Bihar polls
Speaking ahead of the high-stakes contest, Kishor said his party’s outcome would depend entirely on the people’s belief in his vision for change
- Oct 17, 2025,
- Updated Oct 17, 2025 11:43 AM IST
With the Bihar Assembly elections just weeks away, poll-strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor outlined his vision for the state and the electoral prospects of his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP). Speaking ahead of the high-stakes contest, Kishor said his party’s outcome would depend entirely on the people’s belief in his vision for change.
“If people have the leap of faith in our vision, the JSP may win more than 150 seats, and if the voters do not believe us, it may not even win 10,” he said, setting what he described as a realistic benchmark for success.
Kishor, who served as the chief poll strategist for the BJP during Narendra Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, announced that he would not contest the upcoming Bihar elections himself, saying the decision was made “for the greater good.”
He, however, made clear that the Jan Suraaj Party would contest all 243 assembly seats, ruling out any alliance. “We’ll either get fewer than 10 seats or over 150. We won’t stop there,” Kishor said in an interview with AajTak/India Today TV.
“People have understood that this is the path to ending Bihar’s plight. If they take a leap of faith, all equations will be proven wrong. And if they don’t, it’s possible we’ll win fewer than 10 seats.”
‘Ball now in the people’s court’
Kishor sharply criticised both the NDA alliance of the BJP-JDU and the INDIA bloc comprising the RJD and Congress, saying that Bihar’s future depended on voters’ choices.
“So far, people have been saying they do not have any alternative. Now you have one (JSP),” he said. “If people make a mistake again, the misery they are living in today, the corruption that is troubling them, the same misery will remain with them in the future as well.”
He added that migration, unemployment, and the “fake liquor prohibition” would persist if voters stuck with the old political setups.
“Whether the JSP wins or not, Bihar should win, and that will only happen when good people win,” Kishor said, admitting that finding the right candidates had been difficult but necessary to set a new standard in politics.
Raghopur launch and RJD challenge
Kishor launched his party’s campaign from Raghopur, the constituency of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has represented it since 2015. Kishor said it would be difficult for Tejashwi to retain the seat this time and predicted a decline in the RJD’s overall seat count.
“Chirag Paswan was a factor (in 2020), which you could call a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. “Chirag’s party contested only JDU seats, resulting in the RJD winning 38 seats where JDU should have won. If you subtract those 38 from Tejashwi’s 74 seats, you see his real strength as 25 to 30 seats.”
“This time, no one is contesting separately for Tejashwi’s benefit. You can expect the RJD’s vote share to be around 25%, or even 22 to 30%,” Kishor added.
Three-way contest ahead
Calling the Bihar elections a three-way contest between the NDA, the Mahagathbandhan, and the JSP, Kishor said the results on November 14 would determine whether the state’s voters truly wanted change.
The polls will be conducted in two phases, on November 6 and November 11. “The people of Bihar now have a choice,” he said. “If they choose wisely, they will change their destiny.”
With the Bihar Assembly elections just weeks away, poll-strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor outlined his vision for the state and the electoral prospects of his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP). Speaking ahead of the high-stakes contest, Kishor said his party’s outcome would depend entirely on the people’s belief in his vision for change.
“If people have the leap of faith in our vision, the JSP may win more than 150 seats, and if the voters do not believe us, it may not even win 10,” he said, setting what he described as a realistic benchmark for success.
Kishor, who served as the chief poll strategist for the BJP during Narendra Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, announced that he would not contest the upcoming Bihar elections himself, saying the decision was made “for the greater good.”
He, however, made clear that the Jan Suraaj Party would contest all 243 assembly seats, ruling out any alliance. “We’ll either get fewer than 10 seats or over 150. We won’t stop there,” Kishor said in an interview with AajTak/India Today TV.
“People have understood that this is the path to ending Bihar’s plight. If they take a leap of faith, all equations will be proven wrong. And if they don’t, it’s possible we’ll win fewer than 10 seats.”
‘Ball now in the people’s court’
Kishor sharply criticised both the NDA alliance of the BJP-JDU and the INDIA bloc comprising the RJD and Congress, saying that Bihar’s future depended on voters’ choices.
“So far, people have been saying they do not have any alternative. Now you have one (JSP),” he said. “If people make a mistake again, the misery they are living in today, the corruption that is troubling them, the same misery will remain with them in the future as well.”
He added that migration, unemployment, and the “fake liquor prohibition” would persist if voters stuck with the old political setups.
“Whether the JSP wins or not, Bihar should win, and that will only happen when good people win,” Kishor said, admitting that finding the right candidates had been difficult but necessary to set a new standard in politics.
Raghopur launch and RJD challenge
Kishor launched his party’s campaign from Raghopur, the constituency of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has represented it since 2015. Kishor said it would be difficult for Tejashwi to retain the seat this time and predicted a decline in the RJD’s overall seat count.
“Chirag Paswan was a factor (in 2020), which you could call a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. “Chirag’s party contested only JDU seats, resulting in the RJD winning 38 seats where JDU should have won. If you subtract those 38 from Tejashwi’s 74 seats, you see his real strength as 25 to 30 seats.”
“This time, no one is contesting separately for Tejashwi’s benefit. You can expect the RJD’s vote share to be around 25%, or even 22 to 30%,” Kishor added.
Three-way contest ahead
Calling the Bihar elections a three-way contest between the NDA, the Mahagathbandhan, and the JSP, Kishor said the results on November 14 would determine whether the state’s voters truly wanted change.
The polls will be conducted in two phases, on November 6 and November 11. “The people of Bihar now have a choice,” he said. “If they choose wisely, they will change their destiny.”